Trump opponent pressing for fresh inquiry into golf course handling

A resident living next to Donald Trump's Aberdeenshire golf course will submit a petition to the Scottish Parliament next month calling for a fresh review into the dealings of all government-related bodies with the tycoon's organisation.

David Milne, one of the most determined opponents of the American billionaire, is going to Holyrood to address what he describes as "multiple breaches of planning regulations" during the construction of the controversial golf development outside Aberdeen.

The 48-year-old, an independent HSE consultant working in the oil and gas industry, said he had not ruled out a judicial review, or even going to the UK Supreme Court, if other avenues are unsuccessful.

He said: "We will be submitting a petition to the Public Petitions Committee in the next two weeks, which will request an investigation into the behaviour of groups such as Aberdeenshire Council, Grampian Police and the Scottish Government, during what has been a disgusting case of a rich man doing as he wished and getting away with it.

"This isn't about me or anybody else against Trump, but an effort to try and ensure that those who were responsible for making numerous mistakes and breaches of the rules are held to account, and an attempt to prevent anything similar happening again in the future."

A spokeswoman for Aberdeenshire Council said: "The Trump Golf development is a historical project in terms of its initial stages and has been closely scrutinised over the last few years. Ultimately upon completion it will bring economic benefits to Aberdeenshire.

"Our current role is to monitor the ongoing development as it progresses in terms of following planning legislation and to take appropriate action to ensure compliance as required. Aberdeenshire Council also has a role in determining the ongoing planning applications in relation to the development."

Mr Milne, who lives close to the course at Hermit Point in Balmedie, claims he has suffered a litany of problems with the developers throughout the construction of the course and said it has been an "ordeal" staying put in the house he loves.

However, he said he had since been "humbled" by the amount of support he and his fellow protesters received after the documentary You've Been Trumped was broadcast on Sunday.

He added: "Mounds of earth were piled up around the property, HGVs blocked our driveway, the builders knocked out the power line, the mains water supply was disconnected on several occasions and they replaced the mounds with 25-foot pine trees.

"Even now, some of the security guards [at the course] have a bad habit of aiming spotlights at our windows at 2am. It is nothing but harassment."

He went on to say that he had been particularly disappointed by the conduct of First Minister Alex Salmond, who has subsequently fallen out with Mr Trump over a proposed wind farm development in Aberdeen Bay.

He continued: "As far as I'm aware, Salmond, despite being an MP in the north-east, has never been to the site and he completely ignored our side of the argument.

"I am not a political animal and I try to stay away from politics, but I would generally describe Alex Salmond as being a good politician.

"He, and others, were given all sorts of absurd promises by Trump, such as the claim that the new course would generate 6000 jobs, and they swallowed it, hook, line and sinker."

However, it emerged on Thursday that Mr Salmond has since contacted the chief constable of Grampian Police in relation to the police presence around the Menie Estate and, in particular, the arrest of You've Been Trumped director Anthony Baxter.

Mr Salmond wrote in a letter to his constituents: "The film raises issues which have caused concern to a number of my constituents, specifically the strong suggestion that Grampian Police acted in a partial and unacceptable manner, for example the arrest of filmmakers which took place in 2010.

“With that in mind, I have written to the chief constable of Grampian Police, Colin McKerracher, to allow the police the opportunity to explain their actions and what steps have been taken in response to previous complaints.”

Sarah Malone, the executive vice-president, of Trump International in Scotland, dismissed Mr Milne's claims.

"Milne’s allegations of harassment are baseless and untrue," said Malone. "He fought and complained about our every move during construction and has never accepted change to the site. His views are not representative of the ‘community’ - hundreds of thousands of people live in Aberdeen City and Shire, and thousands visited the property and played golf this year.

"Over 50% of our golfers this season were locals. The course opened this summer with phenomenal success and glowing international reviews.

"It has enhanced the area and the environment immeasurably, and brought thousands of visitors from around the world to the north-east."

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